The setting for this novel is Seattle’s Chinatown, and the time of the novel seamlessly glides between the years of WWII and 1986. This novel is about “bitter” matters such as the internment of Japanese-Americans along the Pacific Northwest and the “bitter” disappointments of family expectations unmet. The “sweet”, however, far outshines the bitter. The story is about young love, innocence and the sweet sound of jazz. Mr. Ford handles all the novel’s themes with tenderness.
Reviewed by Sina